LITHOSTRATIGRAPHICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE CHALK IN NORTH YORKSHIRE, HUMBERSIDE AND LINCOLNSHIRE

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Abstract
SUMMARY: It has long been known that the Chalk of England north of the Wash is materially different from that of the southern counties, and it is now generally accepted that the two successions belong to separate depositional provinces. The standard tripartite classification of the Chalk into Lower, Middle and Upper divisions derives from the southern succession, and its use in the north cannot be justified on either lithological or palaeontological grounds. Indeed these divisions have confused and unsatisfactory definitions in southern England. It is proposed that the Chalk of northern England should be regarded as a lithostratigraphical group consisting of four formations (in ascending order the Ferriby, Welton, Burnham and Flamborough Chalk Formations). The Ferriby Chalk Formation includes the Red Chalk, which will no longer have any formal status. There is little detailed knowledge of the Flamborough Chalk Formation, but the three lower formations are remarkably constant throughout the region, so that, for instance, marl bands a centimetre or two thick and individual flint horizons can be correlated from Flamborough Head to the Louth area of Lincolnshire. The boundaries of the formations are described in some detail and are shown to be mappable horizons.

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